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Government Contracts
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July 11, 2024
FERC 'Waiting For Me To Die' With Late Order, Utility Atty Says
Counsel for the Louisiana Public Service Commission told the Fifth Circuit on Thursday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is "waiting for me to die" as it delays issuing a compliance order to System Energy Resources Inc., saying the agency was doing irreparable harm to consumers.
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July 11, 2024
Calif.'s Insulin Cost Suit Belongs In Fed. Court, 9th Circ. Told
Express Scripts and Caremark PCSHealth urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to reverse a lower court's order sending California's antitrust suit over skyrocketing insulin prices back to state court, with both appellants' counsel arguing the state's claims involve disputes over federal contracts and regulations that must be resolved in federal court.
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July 11, 2024
Jurisdiction Issue May Doom Taliban-Seized Warehouse Suit
A logistics company's suit seeking $41 million in coverage after one of its warehouses in Afghanistan was seized by the Taliban will be tossed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction unless the company can cure the deficiency, which "does not appear feasible," a New York federal court ruled.
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July 11, 2024
'Bridgegate' Defense Offers Road Map For NJ RICO Case
Counsel for the powerful New Jersey mogul and Democratic operatives facing explosive racketeering charges are likely to justify their actions as just business, experts told Law360, describing defense tactics similar to the ones that absolved defendants in "Bridgegate," New Jersey's most notorious politics-fueled crime in recent history.
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July 11, 2024
Senate Confirms Judge To Federal Claims Court
The Senate voted 52-39 Thursday to confirm U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather to the Court of Federal Claims for a term of 15 years.
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July 11, 2024
Biden Floats $2B To Drive US Auto Industry's EV Pivot
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled its latest initiative to bolster domestic automotive production by offering nearly $2 billion in grants to convert 11 auto manufacturing and assembly facilities that have been shuttered or are at risk of closing to build electric vehicles and related components.
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July 10, 2024
Rite Aid, DOJ Craft $410M Settlement Of Opioid Sale Claims
Rite Aid agreed to a nearly $410 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the bulk of which will be an unsecured claim in the company's Chapter 11 case, that will put to bed allegations the pharmacy chain dispensed opioids illegally, the DOJ announced Wednesday.
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July 10, 2024
Judge Newman Faces More Hurdles In Bid To End Suspension
With the dismissal of Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's lawsuit against her colleagues over her suspension, experts say she faces significant challenges in securing a different outcome on appeal or persuading the court's other judges to let her hear cases again.
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July 10, 2024
GOP Bombards Agencies With Demands After Chevron's End
Republican leaders of major congressional committees Wednesday demanded details from dozens of agencies on policies suddenly shrouded in uncertainty after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives overturned the so-called Chevron doctrine, which for 40 years gave regulators flexibility in rulemaking and advantages in related litigation.
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July 10, 2024
Engineer Who Faced Export Charges Cops To Tax Counts
A Chinese-born engineer has pled guilty to two counts of filing a false tax return related to allegations that he and his wife omitted gross income from their tax returns between 2015 and 2019, after Texas federal prosecutors initially charged the couple with export violations and fraud.
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July 10, 2024
Drug Test Co. Pays $1M To Settle Medicare Fraud Claims
A Los Angeles drug testing lab will pay at least $1 million to settle claims it doubled-billed Medicare for toxicology tests for people undergoing treatment for opioid use disorder, Boston federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
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July 09, 2024
Pharma Co. Fined $16.9M For Fake Scripts, Ex-VP Arrested
A subsidiary of bankrupt DMK Pharmaceuticals Corp. faces a $16.9 million criminal fine after pleading guilty to conspiring in a scheme to ship drugs using false prescriptions, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday, adding that the subsidiary's former vice president of sales was also arrested.
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July 09, 2024
4th Circ. Finds No Judicial Bias In DOD Contractor's Sentence
The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a nine-year prison sentence for a North Carolina woman who fraudulently obtained military contracts valued at over $2.2 million, rejecting her argument that the district judge should've recused himself for bias and calling his admonishment during her sentencing "'ordinary,' albeit strongly worded."
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July 09, 2024
IT Firm Accuses Feds Of Unjustifiably Canceling Deal
A Virginia information technology firm sued the federal government over a corrective action that saw the U.S. General Services Administration revoking a "game-changing" $22.6 million order, saying the agency offered no explanation for the cancellation.
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July 09, 2024
Indicted Ex-Conn. Official Drops Greece Vacation Plan
Ex-Connecticut budget official Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis on Tuesday dropped his request for a federal judge's permission to travel to Greece while he is under indictment, withdrawing his motion one day after prosecutors objected.
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July 09, 2024
'Stop Right There': Judge Slams King County Deportation Args
A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday criticized King County's argument that its executive order banning deportation flights from a Seattle airport did not force a fuel supplier to stop servicing the flights, with one judge calling it preposterous.
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July 09, 2024
Terrorism Victims Push To Keep Pharma Suit In DC Circ.
Terrorism victims warned the D.C. Circuit against sending to a lower court a lawsuit seeking to link pharmaceutical companies to the attacks that injured them, saying a remand could delay the case and frustrate their efforts to collect evidence.
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July 09, 2024
Aetna Beats Blue Cross In NC Health Plan Contract Battle
An administrative judge affirmed North Carolina's switch of its employee and retiree health plan to Aetna, reasoning Blue Cross Blue Shield failed to prove state officials made errors favoring the competitor when evaluating bids.
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July 09, 2024
Boeing, DOJ Say 737 Max Families Can't Rush Monitor Pick
Boeing has told a Texas federal judge that 737 Max crash victims' families cannot rush the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee the company's safety and compliance efforts, saying its new tentative plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice adequately addresses the monitorship issue.
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July 09, 2024
Gov't Missed Merck Vax Potency Problem, 3rd Circ. Told
Two whistleblowers claiming that Merck & Co. had exaggerated the potency of its mumps vaccine told a Third Circuit panel Tuesday that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's continued purchasing of the vaccine was not proof that the agency knew but didn't care about the alleged deception.
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July 09, 2024
DOD Likely To Need More Time To Nix PFAS Firefighting Foam
The Department of Defense will likely need a two-year extension on its deadline to fully stop using firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," according to a Government Accountability Office report detailing steps the DOD has taken to transition away from the material.
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July 09, 2024
'ComEd Four' To Renew Acquittal Bid After Bribery Ruling
An Illinois federal judge effectively pushed the next ruling in the criminal case against former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and her three co-defendants to at least winter, as the defendants vowed to renew their acquittal bid in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling finding that federal bribery law doesn't criminalize rewards given after an official act.
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July 09, 2024
Newman Loses Suit Against Fed. Circ. Over Suspension
A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman filed against her colleagues over her suspension for refusing to undergo medical tests, saying she failed to prove the judicial conduct law at issue is unconstitutional.
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July 09, 2024
NJ Power Broker, Firm CEO Deny Racketeering Charges
Powerful New Jersey businessman George E. Norcross III, his prominent attorney brother and others on Tuesday denied that they schemed to acquire waterfront property in the distressed city of Camden by threatening to ruin the business reputations and finances of key stakeholders.
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July 09, 2024
Defense Dept. Sticks With Sentinel, Despite Program's Costs
The U.S. Department of Defense is pushing ahead with its new intercontinental ballistic missile project, with its contracting chief saying the program's importance to national security outweighs its ballooning costs.
Expert Analysis
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When Trade Secret Protection And Nat'l Security Converge
The Trump administration's anti-espionage program focused on China is over, but federal enforcement efforts to protect trade secrets and U.S. national security continue, and companies doing business in high-risk jurisdictions need to maintain their compliance programs to avoid the risk of being caught in the crosshairs of an investigation, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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How Export Controls Are Evolving To Address Tech Security
Recently proposed export control regulations from the U.S. Department of Commerce are an opportunity for stakeholders to help pioneer compliance for the increasing reliance on the use of outsourced technology service providers, say attorneys at Benesch.
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Opinion
New Mexico Fire Victims Deserve Justice From Federal Gov't
Two years after the largest fire in New Mexico's history — a disaster caused by the U.S. government's mismanagement of prescribed burns — the Federal Emergency Management Agency must remedy its grossly inadequate relief efforts and flawed legal interpretations that have left victims of the fire still waiting for justice, says former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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Lessons For Nursing Facilities From DOJ Fraud Settlement
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement with the owner of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Florida provides a cautionary tale of potential fraud risks, and lessons on how facilities can mitigate government enforcement actions, say Callan Stein and Rebecca Younker at Troutman Pepper.
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5 Takeaways From SAP's Foreign Bribery Resolutions
German software company SAP’s recent settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, resolving allegations of foreign bribery, provide insights into government enforcement priorities, and how corporations should structure their compliance programs to reduce liability, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Nonprecedential, Unreasonable, Scope
James Tucker at MoFo examines three recent decisions showing that while the results of past competitions may inform bid strategy, they are not determinative; that an agency's award may be deemed unreasonable if it ignores available information; and that a protester may be right about an awardee's noncompliance but still lose.
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Fears About The End Of Chevron Deference Are Overblown
While some are concerned about repercussions if the U.S. Supreme Court brings an end to Chevron deference in the Loper and Relentless cases this term, agencies and attorneys would survive just fine under the doctrines that have already begun to replace it, say Daniel Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Preparing For Possible Calif. Criminal Antitrust Enforcement
Though a recent announcement that the California Attorney General's Office will resume criminal prosecutions in support of its antitrust enforcement may be mere saber-rattling, companies and their counsel should nevertheless be prepared for interactions with the California AG's Antitrust Section that are not limited to civil liability issues, say Dylan Ballard and Lillian Sun at V&E.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.